The Second Book of Samuel, starting at chapter 1
{1:1} It happened after the death of Saul, when David was returned
from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in
Ziklag; {1:2} it happened on the third day, that behold, a man came
out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn, and earth on his
head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth,
and showed respect. {1:3} David said to him, "Where do you come from?"
He said to him, "I have escaped out of the camp of Israel." {1:4}
David said to him, "How did it go? Please tell me."
He answered, "The people have fled from the battle, and many of the
people also have fallen and are dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son
are dead also."
{1:5} David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know
that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?"
{1:6} The young man who told him said, "As I happened by chance on
Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning on his spear; and behold, the
chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him. {1:7} When he
looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. I answered, 'Here I
am.' {1:8} He said to me, 'Who are you?' I answered him, 'I am an
Amalekite.' {1:9} He said to me, 'Please stand beside me, and kill me;
for anguish has taken hold of me, because my life is yet whole in me.'
{1:10} So I stood beside him, and killed him, because I was sure that
he could not live after that he had fallen. I took the crown that was
on his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought
them here to my lord."
{1:11} Then David took hold on his clothes, and tore them; and
likewise all the men who were with him. {1:12} They mourned, and wept,
and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for
the people of [1>]the LORD,[<1] and for the house of Israel; because
they were fallen by the sword. {1:13} David said to the young man who
told him, "Where are you from?"
He answered, "I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite."
{1:14} David said to him, "How were you not afraid to put forth your
hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?" {1:15} David called one of the
young men, and said, "Go near, and fall on him." He struck him, so
that he died. {1:16} David said to him, "Your blood be on your head;
for your mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have slain the
LORD's anointed.'"
{1:17} David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over
Jonathan his son {1:18} (and he commanded them to teach the children
of Judah the song of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of
Jashar):
{1:19} "Your glory, Israel, is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
{1:20} Don't tell it in Gath.
Don't publish it in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
{1:21} You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew nor rain on you, neither fields of offerings;
For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away,
The shield of Saul was not anointed with oil.
{1:22} From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
Jonathan's bow didn't turn back.
Saul's sword didn't return empty.
{1:23} Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives.
In their death, they were not divided.
They were swifter than eagles.
They were stronger than lions.
{1:24} You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet delicately,
who put ornaments of gold on your clothing.
{1:25} How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan is slain on your high places.
{1:26} I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan.
You have been very pleasant to me.
Your love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of women.
{1:27} How are the mighty fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!"
{2:1} It happened after this, that David inquired of the LORD,
saying, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?"
The LORD said to him, "Go up."
David said, "Where shall I go up?"
He said, "To Hebron."
{2:2} So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the
Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. {2:3} David
brought up his men who were with him, every man with his household.
They lived in the cities of Hebron. {2:4} The men of Judah came, and
there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told
David, saying, "The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who buried Saul."
{2:5} David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to
them, "Blessed are you by the LORD, that you have shown this kindness
to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him. {2:6} Now may the
LORD show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for
this kindness, because you have done this thing. {2:7} Now therefore
let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead,
and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them."
{2:8} Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's army, had taken
Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; {2:9}
and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over
Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
{2:10} Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to
reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah
followed David. {2:11} The time that David was king in Hebron over the
house of Judah was seven years and six months. {2:12} Abner the son of
Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from
Mahanaim to Gibeon. {2:13} Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants
of David, went out, and met them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat
down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other
side of the pool. {2:14} Abner said to Joab, "Please let the young men
arise and play before us!"
Joab said, "Let them arise!" {2:15} Then they arose and went over by
number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and
twelve of the servants of David. {2:16} They each caught his opponent
by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell
down together: therefore that place was called Helkath Hazzurim, which
is in Gibeon. {2:17} The battle was very severe that day: and Abner
was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
{2:18} The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and
Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild gazelle. {2:19}
Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he didn't turn to the right
hand nor to the left from following Abner. {2:20} Then Abner looked
behind him, and said, "Is it you, Asahel?"
He answered, "It is I."
{2:21} Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your
left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor." But Asahel
would not turn aside from following him. {2:22} Abner said again to
Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the
ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?"
{2:23} However he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner with the back
end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out
behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place. It
happened, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and
died stood still. {2:24} But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner: and
the sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, that lies
before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. {2:25} The
children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and
became one band, and stood on the top of a hill. {2:26} Then Abner
called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Don't you
know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it
be then, before you ask the people to return from following their
brothers?"
{2:27} Joab said, "As [2>]God[<2] lives, if you had not spoken,
surely then in the morning the people would have gone away, and not
each followed his brother." {2:28} So Joab blew the [3>]shofar[<3];
and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more,
neither fought they any more. {2:29} Abner and his men went all that
night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and went
through all Bithron, and came to Mahanaim. {2:30} Joab returned from
following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together,
there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel. {2:31} But
the servants of David had struck of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, so
that three hundred sixty men died. {2:32} They took up Asahel, and
buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and
his men went all night, and the day broke on them at Hebron.
{3:1} Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the
house of David: and David grew stronger and stronger, but the house of
Saul grew weaker and weaker. {3:2} To David were sons born in Hebron:
and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; {3:3} and
his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and
the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of
Geshur; {3:4} and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the
fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; {3:5} and the sixth, Ithream, of
Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron. {3:6} It
happened, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house
of David, that Abner made himself strong in the house of Saul. {3:7}
Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah:
and Ishbosheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's
concubine?" {3:8} Then was Abner very angry for the words of
Ishbosheth, and said, "Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? Today
I show kindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and
to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and
yet you charge me this day with a fault concerning this woman! {3:9}
God do so to Abner, and more also, if, as the LORD has sworn to David,
I don't do even so to him; {3:10} to transfer the kingdom from the
house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over
Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba."
{3:11} He could not answer Abner another word, because he feared
him. {3:12} Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying,
"Whose is the land?" and saying, "Make your alliance with me, and
behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring all Israel around to you."
{3:13} He said, "Good; I will make a treaty with you; but one thing
I require of you. That is, you shall not see my face, unless you first
bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face."
{3:14} David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, saying,
"Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I pledged to be married to me for one
hundred foreskins of the Philistines."
{3:15} Ishbosheth sent, and took her from her husband, even from
Paltiel the son of Laish. {3:16} Her husband went with her, weeping as
he went, and followed her to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go!
Return!" and he returned. {3:17} Abner had communication with the
elders of Israel, saying, "In times past, you sought for David to be
king over you. {3:18} Now then do it; for the LORD has spoken of
David, saying, 'By the hand of my servant David, I will save my people
Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all
their enemies.'"
{3:19} Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also
to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to
Israel, and to the whole house of Benjamin. {3:20} So Abner came to
David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. David made Abner and the men
who were with him a feast. {3:21} Abner said to David, "I will arise
and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may
make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your
soul desires." David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.
{3:22} Behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and
brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in
Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace. {3:23}
When Joab and all the army who was with him had come, they told Joab,
saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him
away, and he is gone in peace. {3:24} Then Joab came to the king, and
said, "What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that
you have sent him away, and he is quite gone? {3:25} You know Abner
the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going
out and your coming in, and to know all that you do."
{3:26} When Joab had come out from David, he sent messengers after
Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David
didn't know it. {3:27} When Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took
him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and
struck him there in the body, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel
his brother. {3:28} Afterward, when David heard it, he said, "I and my
kingdom are guiltless before the LORD forever of the blood of Abner
the son of Ner. {3:29} Let it fall on the head of Joab, and on all his
father's house. Let there not fail from the house of Joab one who has
an issue, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by
the sword, or who lacks bread." {3:30} So Joab and Abishai his brother
killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in
the battle. {3:31} David said to Joab, and to all the people who were
with him, Tear your clothes, and clothe yourselves with sackcloth, and
mourn before Abner. King David followed the bier. {3:32} They buried
Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the
grave of Abner; and all the people wept. {3:33} The king lamented for
Abner, and said, "Should Abner die as a fool dies? {3:34} Your hands
were not bound, nor your feet put into fetters. As a man falls before
the children of iniquity, so you fell."
All the people wept again over him. {3:35} All the people came to
cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore,
saying, "God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or anything
else, until the sun goes down." {3:36} All the people took notice of
it, and it pleased them; as whatever the king did pleased all the
people. {3:37} So all the people and all Israel understood that day
that it was not of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner. {3:38} The
king said to his servants, "Don't you know that there a prince and a
great man has fallen this day in Israel? {3:39} I am this day weak,
though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard
for me. May the LORD reward the evildoer according to his wickedness."
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Footnotes:
[1] {1:12} "LORD" or "GOD" (all capital letters) indicate the 4-letter
Holy Name of God
[2] {2:27} The Hebrew word rendered "God" is "Elohim."
[3] {2:28} or, trumpet
________________________________________________________________________
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